Gina Crespo
Research Assistant
Email: g.crespo@ufl.edu
I recently graduated with a B.S. in biology in the college of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Florida. I am interested in studying evolution and genetics. At the Kawahara Lab, I have helped with projects focused on moth behavior and phylogenetics. I have worked with digital images of specimens in the family Saturniidae, created wing vouchers, and will soon begin to assist with DNA extractions.
Nolan Ferguson
Postbaccalaureate Research Assistant
Email: nolan.ferguson@ufl.edu
Since early childhood I would hunt on spring days for young caterpillars and eggs, creating small “paradises” for them to live out their alien lives that gave me an opportunity to study the wonder that they inspired in me. With the opportunities provided by the Florida Museum, I found a place to raise them with more intentional and professional care elevating a lifelong passion to a tangible research experience. I am pursuing a creative career, but continue to employ these insects as both subjects for my work and as a “living material.”
David Plotkin
Project Manager
Email: dplotkin@ufl.edu
I have been a member of the Kawahara Lab since 2013, first as a lab tech, then as a Ph.D student (graduated 2020), and am currently the project manager. My research background is with systematics and taxonomy of geometrid moths, but in my current position I assist with data analysis, grant report writing, and manuscript writing for a variety of ongoing projects in the Kawahara Lab, spanning a wide range of topics related to Lepidoptera evolution, genomics, and behavior. I also assist with supervision of students and postdocs, and management of our electronic resources and data. Before joining the Kawahara Lab, I received a B.S. in Biology from Carnegie Mellon University and an M.S. in Agriculture & Life Sciences (concentration in Entomology) from Mississippi State University.
Jahir Rayhan
Visiting Researcher
Email: mdjahirrayhan@ufl.edu
I recently graduated with a degree in Zoology and am currently employed as a research scholar in the Kawahara Lab. My research primarily investigates the evolution of silk fibers in Lepidoptera, alongside employing CRISPR technology for Lepidoptera species identification. I am deeply passionate about evolutionary biology and have a keen interest in the philosophical aspects of biological science. My enthusiasm drives me to explore the intricate relationships between organisms and their evolutionary adaptations. I am eager to contribute to our understanding of these fascinating topics through my work and future studies.